Tuesday, September 30, 2008

This is the luxury hotel in the Kyoto Station building, and has restaurants open to the public on the top floors. We are looking towards the center of the city and beyond to the north.

The white tower, recently refurbished, rises above all but the station building.

In the distance you can see the rest of the cityscape that is Kyoto--and how completely out of scale the Tower is.

It is particularly popular with Japanese junior high school students, for whom it is a must visit while in Kyoto on the school excursions.

Compared to something as dull as Kiyomizu Temple or yet another shrine world heritage site, Kyoto Tower is big, "kirei" (clean, new), and has a gift shop on the ground floor where they can buy presents for themselves and their friends.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Public drunkenness is not considered a shame in Japan and is viewed with indulgence. Every day thousands of drunken office workers, mostly males, can be seen slumped in the carriages of subway trains or on station platforms. Some of them may even be lying in pools of their own vomit.

Station staff patiently attempt to waken the sleeping drunks and even use wheelchairs to transport them to waiting taxis outside the station.

2007 saw traffic fatalities dip below 6,000 for the first time in 54 years in Japan.

Source: Yahoo News Japan

Sales at convenience stores rose 5.3% in August compared with a year previously. Total sales were reported at 678.48 billion yen. The increase was partly due to more shoppers buying cigarettes now that vending machines require a TASPO card to purchase tobacco.

Source: Daily Yomiuri

Japan ranked 18th in the annual global corruption survey tied with the US. New Zealand, Sweden and Denmark were joint top followed by Singapore. The UK was 16th. China was ranked 72nd. Somalia was dead last at 180.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Loft is a giant of Japanese retailing. Owned by the Seibu Group, Loft stores are aimed at young homeowners and avid hobbyists.

Loft stores can be found throughout Japan in many large department stores and stock a wide variety of home and garden items including tableware, furnishings, draperies as well as office supplies, bridal goods, kids' stuff and stationary.

Established in 1996 with its HQ in Shinjuku in Tokyo, there are now around 50 Loft stores nationwide, employing around 3,400 staff.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Kakutogi, Japanese for any hand-to-hand fighting sport, grew big in Japan throughout the 1990s and is now huge. Perhaps the most popular now is K1, a sport established in Japan in 1993 that combines various martial arts to get something that looks like a blend of boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling.

I got to see a K1 event on Tuesday, a national holiday for Autumnal Equinox Day, held in the Saitama Super Arena, connected to the JR Saitama Shintoshin Station on the JR Saikyo Line. A friend had got tickets to the "K1 Olympia Dream 6 Middle Weight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round" event from an old classmate of his who is big in the Japanese kakutogi scene.

We got there at 3pm, and the event got started at 4. The massive stadium was probably about three quarters full. There was a large TV broadcasting presence as it was to be broadcast nationally at 9pm that evening.

Unlike traditional sports, K1 is an over the top showbiz spectacle, all swirling spotlights, strobelights, elaborate computer graphics, pumping music, a totally manic announcer yodelling and trilling each entering contestant's name, grand entrances in silly costumes and exaggerated posturing, and even exploding tinsel showers around the ring on occasion.

What should have been a climax of the afternoon was a fizzer. Fight #11: the Heavy Weight One Match between the firm favorite, Mirko Crocop of Croatia, and a new boy, Alistair Overeem of the Netherlands, began very promisingly with the two massive men first trying to stare each other out before the bell rang, and then engaging in a very tough and bitter struggle.

It soon became apparent though that, strong as Mirko Crocop was, the gargantuanly built Alister Overeem was stronger. He opened a cut beside Crocop's eye which required a couple of breaks to mop up the blood, and soon after that it became clear that Crocop was in serious trouble. In spite of the crowd egging him on with words of encouragement, he basically collapsed to his hands and knees and another break was called.

It was obvious from Crocop's demeanor that his pride had been at least as badly wounded by the young Alistair Overeem as had anywhere on his body. There was a great palaver as people screened Crocop, still on his hands and knees and pulling the bitterest of faces, from view with sheets. After what seemed an age, with the impatient Overeem dancing on his feet in the corner, it was finally announced (to the very patient crowd!) that Crocop was "in no condition to continue". But whereas it was clear that Overeem had completely licked him, it was called a "No contest"!

Grossly unfair to Overeem, I thought, and completely shameless of Crocop and his team. Anyway, Overeem is the new boy on the block, seemed like a much nicer guy than Crocop, and is the man to watch.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Whereas English uses the word “thing” to refer to anything that exists, Japanese generally divides existence into the physical and non-physical. mono is usually a tangible thing, such as a wallet, a cabbage, a door, or a coin, while koto is an intangible thing, such as a win, a habit, a wish, or an incident.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Senbazuru or a thousand folded origami cranes are seen throughout Japan at temples and shrines and places of remembrance and atonement such as the Atomic Dome in Hiroshima or the Daihonei tunnel complex in Nagano built by forced labor during World War II. The cranes may also be offered at weddings to wish the happy couple everlasting happiness or on the occasion of the birth of a child.

The folding of a thousand cranes relates to the legend that if a person undertakes such a task they will be granted a wish by a crane - considered a mythical bird possessed of special powers in Japan.

Nowadays, special origami sets for making the cranes can be bought in shops and department stores.

In literature, the most famous reference to the 1000 cranes is Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by American novelist Eleanor Coerr. The book tells the tragic story of Sadako Sasaki, who died from leukemia in 1955 brought on by radiation poisoning from the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

小倉山百人一集の会
P.T.O. (PEOPLE TOGETHER FOR MT. OGURA), a new citizens’ environmental and cultural action group, founded in Kyoto, March 2008

Ogurayama, the beautiful dome-shaped mountain rising on the northern side of the Hozu Gorge as viewed from Arashiyama. A mountain quite unique in its literary associations – from the courtier poets and poetesses of Heian through Priest Saigyo (who had his first hermitage there), Fujiwara Teika (who compiled the karuta collection of 100 Poems by 100 Poets there) right down to Basho (who wrote his Saga Diary there), Kyorai and later haiku poets.

To Mount Ogura
that morning has come
of early winter showers;
when, only yesterday,
all four directions dimly glowed
with red and yellow leaves. (Teika)

Today, Ogurayama is a 'forgotten mountain'. On the one hand, it has become a storehouse of wildlife – kingfishers, little cuckoos, deer, wild rabbits, monkeys and so forth – for its varied forests comprise both broadleaf deciduous and broadleaf evergreen, with coniferous sections, too.

On the other, its environmental problems have become severe. PTO and its volunteers are engaged in tackling the rampant pine disease, in replanting, in maintenance of the bamboo groves on Ogura's lower slopes, and in collection of rubbish tipped illegally and its future prevention.

We have recently won three security cameras from the City Hall for use at the worst of the dumps. We are helping to restore the mountain to a healthier condition as well as guiding people along its charming ancient paths, many of which are in poor condition. A collection of contemporary poetry, Ogurayama Hyakunin Ikku/Isshu – both celebrating and lamenting the mountain today – is in the process of completion (anyone composing verse while walking over or along the foot of the mountain may contribute). We work so that Mt. Ogura will once again become a true inspiration for people who seek enjoyment of natural beauty, and will find its rightful place again in the living local culture of Sagano.

We are in the process of recruiting volunteers (free) as well as members (￥1,500 per year to 31 March 2009). If you aren’t able to visit the mountain and wish to contribute 'from afar' you can deduct the ￥500, which is the insurance policy we pay for members who help from time to time on the mountain itself. If you have already been to Mt. Ogura and seen the problems for yourself, how about supporting us? If not, just come along and help, with your labour offered as donation. Thank you in advance for your kind consideration.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Taro Aso, 68, was today elected at the new leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and will become the next Prime Minister.

A conservative hawk, who favors pump-priming the economy, Aso is the grandson of post World War II Prime Minster, Yoshida Shigeru.

It was 4th time lucky for the "charismatic" Aso who lost out in previous leadership elections to Junichiro Koizumi, Shinzo Abe and Yasuo Fukuda.

Aso easily won the vote by LDP MPs and regional party members - winning 351 out of the 527 votes cast, way ahead of his nearest challengers in the leadership race, Kaoru Yosano and Yuriko Koike, who polled just 66 and 46 votes, respectively.

Aso, a Roman Catholic, known for his straight-talking, frequent gaffes and love of Japan's manga culture, is a controversial figure and a member of the political elite that has ruled Japan since the Meiji Period (1868-1912). Aso is related not only to post-war premier Yoshida Shigera but also Meiji oligarch Toshimichi Okubo.

Aso studied at both Stanford University and the London School of Economics in his early years before joining his father's company Aso Mining Company in 1966. Aso served as president of the company from 1973 to 1979 and penned the firm's official history - making no mention of the wartime slave laborers (Koreans and Allied POWs) who were forced to work in Aso Mining's copper mines during World War II. Aso was also a member of the Japanese shooting team at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Aso's election signals a pronounced step to the right for Japan after Fukuda's term in office. Aso is a traditionalist and nationalist who favors a strong foreign policy stance vis-a-vis China and North Korea, though it remains to be seen if he will follow in Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's footsteps and visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.

Aso has made a number of contentious remarks during his colorful political career including disparaging a burakumin (dowa) minority MP and firmly rejecting calls for a woman to ascend to the imperial throne.

"Gothic Lolita" is a fashion style, born in Japan, that blends the dark, brooding gothic and the light, frilly Lolita looks.

To see is to believe.

In other countries, the gothic look is an expression of alienation, teen anger, even anarchy. Piercing and aggressive tattoing are often part of the package.

Lolita is of course the young woman and title of the great Vladimir Nabokov novel. In Japan, she has been appropriated in the "Lolita complex" (rori-con). This is the phenomenon describing Japanese men who are obsessed with very young--very young--girls.

In terms of fashion, Lolita refers to hyper-cute girls in frilly pink and white outfits.

Young Japanese women have melded these different forms of alienation and created a bizarre sub-category fashion look. In highly detailed outfits, complete in many cases with Little Bo Peep umbrellas, they parade in groups in city centers.

Disclaimer: The author is not an expert on gothic, Lolita, or gothic Lolita fashion. We welcome comments and corrections from our readers.

In 2007, 20,007 foreign nationals were arrested in Japan. Almost half, 9,211, of these were apprehended for immigration-related issues.

Of the remaining crimes, theft accounted for more than half of the cases. Just 477 (.02%) of the total were for "vicious crimes" (murder, rape, assault, etc.). These crimes were committed primarily by Chinese (52%) and Brazilians (22%).

Source: NPA (National Police Agency)

300 people were arrested in 2007 for child pornography offenses in Japan. That is a 17% increase from the previous year.

Japan and Russia are the only two countries in the Group of Eight that do not ban possession of child pornography.

Source: International Business Times

There were 2.83 goals scored on average in the J. League last season - 867 goals in 306 games - compared with 2.63 in the Premier League in England and 2.55 in Serie A in Italy.

Source: World Soccer Magazine

Only 24.6% of Tokyo dogs in 2005 wore official municipal government issued dog tags.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Shibuya 109, or just 109 (ichi-maru-kyu, in Japanese), is a landmark for women between the ages of 10 and 30.

The cylindrical building stands at a fork in the road just up a slope from the scramble intersection in front of Shibuya Station, in Tokyo.

Within its eight above-ground and two underground floors one can find the latest fashions in Japan.

In addition, it is a sociologists dream. On each floor, you will find many boutiques, each offering a very defined fashion look. The women who work as clerks in these shops wear the clothes of the shop--and the attitude appropriate to the look.

The pinker the fashion, the cuter the look and behavior of the clerks. In the hip-hop influenced shops, the attitude was considerably cooler.

In one boutique, the two women clerks flew around the tiny shop screaming "irashaimase" (welcome). They both were deeply tanned, short, cute, and were sporting completely blonde hair, short cotton skirts, and lots of bangles. Across the hall, in a much more subdued place, the tall reserved female clerks barely noticed customers.

The mall was packed with Japanese women, all under 30, and legions of Asian tourists, many of whom were on the wrong side of 30.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Ema are small, painted, wooden boards or plaques found displayed in Shinto shrines.

Usually purchased for around 500 yen and bearing the chief symbol or characteristic motif of the shrine or an animal associated with the Chinese zodiac, ema are inscribed with a wish or hope: success in exams, luck in marriage or finding a partner, a healthy child-birth, financial prosperity, winning the lottery...anything is possible...just buy a plaque, fill in the details, pray to the kami (gods) and hang it up with the rest.

Often the image on the plaque may be of a horse, uma or ma inJapanese means "horse" hence ema is literally "horse picture".

You don't have to write in Japanese, the Shinto gods are multi-lingual and will understand your wish.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

On a recent trip to Tokyo, I wandered around Shinjuku, Daikanyama, and the Harajuku/Omotesando areas and was struck by many things.

One surprise for someone coming up from Kyoto was the number of tattoos, especially on women. In Kansai, tattoos are still a bit rare. Mobsters, of course, and the occasional college student or artist have tattoos.

In Tokyo, however, tattoos were everywhere.

And on all parts of the body.

We saw countless tattoos high up on the thigh just barely visible under a skirt or hot pants, just next to cleavage, on the back of the neck, the side of the ankle, the shoulder blade, etc.

The woman with the Mickey Mouse tattoo--it's real--on her calf was waiting for a train at Shibuya Station. Her exposed shoulders featured elaborate dragons.

One sign that tattoos may even be a bit passe was that we spied a woman, in her late 20s, who had the telltale scars on her left arm of tattoo removal. She was feeding a baby in an Italian coffee shop.

Another, more attractive, surprise were leggings.

Women of all ages sported all sorts of leggings.

The women pictured at left was in her early- to mid-40s, very attractive, and made quite an impression with her brilliantly colored and patterned leggings. She is strolling along Omotesando on a recent Saturday.

Few if any openly stared at her as she paraded along the tree-lined street thronged with tourists and locals.

The clack-clack of her heels punctuated the colors as they shifted along her legs while she walked.

Reservations: Not necessary but recommended and appreciated. Justshow up to the party!

Over 25,000 Yen worth of exciting prize giveaways each month!

There will be free food along with free drinks (beers, wine, cocktail drinks and juices).Our party is not a dinner party, but we will have light food & snacks.Quantities are limited, so please come early! Please free to come alone or bring your friends.EVERYBODY is welcome to join regardless of nationality/gender. Reservation is greatly appreciated.About 125-150+ people are expected to attend. Approximately 55% female and 45% male, 70% Japanese and 30% non-Japanese.

From Nagoya Stn. take the Higashiyama Subway line to Fushimi Station (GET OFF
at Fushimi Station!!) Take the #5 Exit from then walk straight along Rt. 19
AWAY from Hirokoji-Dori for about 3/4 of a block. Shooters is on the left side
of the street at the end of the block. Look for the sign on the sidewalk.

Monday, September 15, 2008

For small, rural towns in Japan with no public library, residents rely on a mobile library service provided by the nearest city with a public library.

In Matsushiro, just outside Nagano, the mobile library calls once a week on Saturdays, from the main library in Nagano city.

Access

To get to Matsushiro, take the Nagano Dentetsu Yashiro Line train to Matsushiro Station from Nagano. Alternatively, take the more frequent local bus from Nagano Station to Matsushiro from bus platform #3 outside the station.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Today we are going to look at a few country names, as they are rendered in Chinese characters. 国（くに、こく；kuni, koku）is country. To identify a country, you can often just place its kanji, or Chinese character, in front of that. (Katakana, the Japanese syllabary for foreign words, can always be used, and some countries only have a katakana rendering.)

中国（ちゅうごく、chugoku）＝ China, the "middle" country or kingdom, whence all comes
韓国（かんこく、kankoku）＝ Korea
英国（えいこく、eikoku) ＝ England, the "hero" country
米国（べいこく、beikoku）＝ USA, the "rice" country

Other countries are frequently abbreviated to one character when referred to in the press. At right in parentheses is the original.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The museum is the preserved former residence of local artist and writer Junichi Iwata and displays manuscripts, letters and every day items from the lives of Iwata and his literary friend Edogawa Ranpo. Iwata drew illustrations for Edogawa Ranpo's stories and the two shared the house for a while, when Ranpo was living and working in Toba.

Also on show are photographs dating back to 1936, many featuring the famous women divers (ama) of the area.

The subsequent fame of Edogawa Ranpo (1894-1965), aka Taro Hirai, far outweighs that of his associate Junichi Iwata, and it is the personal effects of the noted mystery writer, including his trademark beret and round glasses, on display at the museum, that attract most interest.

Ranpo and Junichi Iwata also collaborated on researching the hidden history of Japanese homosexuality - nanshoku - and Iwata published the book Honcho Nanshoku Ko on the subject.
Iwata (1900-46) died at a young age, only 45, in Tokyo, but the museum is a fitting tribute to an energetic, young artist of the time.

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

If you are visiting Toba in Mie Prefecture to see the Mikimoto Pearl Museum or the Aquarium, find time to drop in to one of the small oyster bars serving up fresh shellfish in the JR Station Shotengai.

The row of shops is near the inland entrance to Toba station away from the sea, not the main seaside entrance near the coast where the tourist office is....on the other side. Turn right as you come up from the platforms.

Usually run by a middle-aged woman who dispenses local news along with the beers, the shops serve up delicious shellfish. Ask the kindly matron which type is "in season." The shellfish are kept in water tanks at the front of the shops and you just need to point: abalone, clams, mussels, lobsters, oysters, periwinkles, scallops, sea urchins, sazae (turban shell), whelks.

My favorite place is Mizunuma Sasaeten (水沼さざえ店) run by Mrs. Nakamura, who will be encouraging you in to her small shop as you pass by.

Mizunuma Sasaeten
Tel: 0599 25 2511

There are Kinstetsu trains to Toba from Osaka and Nagoya (1 hour, 35 mins) and there are overnight highway buses from Ikebukuro via Kuwana and Tsu to Toba.

Monday, September 08, 2008

These two women are heading towards the Keihan Line in Yodoyabashi Station, in Osaka, on their way home after a day of shopping. The women on the left, three bags, is clearly the daughter; the woman on the right, two bags, is her mother.

This is a common site in Japan, the mother-daughter shopping date.

The daughter is dressed in low-cut, high-heel boots. She is wearing denim short shorts, ripped and or frayed in tactical places. Her top shows off a brown midriff and petite belly button, and is cut to expose her shoulders.

O-ka-san is dressed more conservatively in white capri pants, low-heel pumps without a back, and a brown top with the collar turned up. She has the de rigueur Vuitton bag.

Both women have dyed their hair to a similar degree.

The younger woman is taller, which is common in Japan.

Daddy is no doubt at work, and his credit card took a hit today. Including lunch, the ladies look as they have made quite a day off it.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Dating from the 7th century, Zenkoji keeps the Ikko-Sanzon Amida Nyorai, supposedly the first Buddhist image to arrive in Japan (from Korea in the 6th century). A copy of the image is displayed to the public every six years in the Gokaicho Festival, the next is in 2009. The original is kept behind a curtain and is never seen by the laity.

The temple has been destroyed by fire and rebuilt on a number of occasions and the present main hall of the temple was built in 1707.

Zenkoji's popularity stems from the fact it is a non-sectarian temple and welcomes visitors from all faiths and creeds. A priest and priestess share the responsibility for the temple's ecumenical rituals. In an ancient ceremony, the high priest or priestess prays for the salvation of visitors every morning.

Underneath the main hall is a narrow, pitch-black tunnel that symbolizes the path to enlightenment. Struggle through the darkness with your hand to the wall to guide you and you will discover a metal handle, which is the key to salvation. To enter the tunnel is 500 yen. Be warned it is hot, long and frightening!

Friday, September 05, 2008

Japan has a fascination with theme parks that recreate the "life and culture" in other countries. Probably the most famous example is Huis Ten Bosch, the "Dutch" theme park in Nagasaki in Kyushu.

Parque Espana (Shima Spain Village) in Mie Prefecture on the southern coast near the Ago Bay is part amusement park, part recreated Spain. Various facets of Spanish architecture are here: Andalusian houses, a castle, a statue of Colombus and Spanish-style plazas. There's als a Santa Claus Street, Carmen Street as well as Fiesta and Columbus Squares to get you in the Latin mood.

Visitors often come by bus as part of a package tour and stay overnight at one of the resort's hotels. There are also guided tours for elementary school children to introduce them to "Spanish culture."

There are parades by costumed characters, street performances, an onsen, restaurants and cafes and lots of activities for the kids.

The amusement park has three spectacular rides: Bullfight Roller Coaster, Gran Montserrat and the Pyrenees.

From Osaka Namba Station the journey by Kintetsu train and shuttle bus (360 yen) to the park from Ugata Station is about 2 hours, 40 minutes.
From Nagoya Station the journey by Kintetsu and bus to the park from Ugata Station is 2 hours, 13 minutes.

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Obuse in Nagano Prefecture prides itself on being an arty town right down to its pretty sidewalks (or pavements if you're a Brit).

Sidewalks are a bit of a luxury in Japan - often its just a white line painted at the side of the road - but Obuse city has relaid its predestrian walkways with blocks of the local chestnut wood, making for a very soft stroll through the town's many art galleries, boutiques and museums.

Obuse is known for its delicious Japanese sweets made from chestnuts and using the wood for the pavements was one way of recycling the old trees.

Access

Take the Nagano Dentetsu Line from Nagano Station to Obuse (20 minutes by limited express; 35 minutes by local).

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

As Japan faced certain defeat in World War II, special plans were put in place to move the Emperor and the main organs of the Japanese state, including the ministries and NHK, to underground bunkers in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture in Matsushiro.

The thinking was to prepare for a final battle to inflict such damage on the Allies as they would accept the continuation of the Imperial system. A special chamber was constructed to house the Emperor and his family underneath the hard rock.

Construction of the 6km-long underground tunnels and shelters began in late 1944, when around 7,000 Korean forced laborers were moved into hastily-built camps at the site at Mount Zozan and local residents were evicted.

Construction work continued around the clock in terrible conditions. Workers were fed a meager diet and it is estimated that around 1,000 people died from malnutrition, execution and accidents as the rock was dynamited and carried out by hand on wooden trolleys and in rope nets.

All records of the operation were destroyed at the end of the war and only the names of 3 Koreans workers and a Japanese who died at the site are now known: Tosan Paku, Kisuru Kim, Tokusu Chou and Jiro Nakano.

Also at Mount Zozan an ianjo or "comfort women station" was established when four young Korean women were brought to Matsushiro on the promise of work as "special nurses" to serve the Japanese guards and high-ranking Koreans.

The women disappeared at the end of the war and their fates remain unknown. The building where the comfort women were kept was dismantled in 1991. The Organization for the Memorial Center of Another History in Matsushiro has preserved the remains of the structure and has plans to re-erect the building as a war memorial. So far, these plans are on hold due to lack of financing (30m yen is the projected budget) and some opposition amongst the local people.

A school project in 1985 brought to light the tragic history of the tunnels and the Nagano city government secured and opened 500m of the shelter complex to the public after pressure from the local community. The tunnels are administered by the sightseeing section of Nagano city and there is local concern that not enough emphasis is placed on the historical and educational aspects of the site.

The small historical museum mouitotsunorekishikan (もういとつの歴史館; "Another History Museum") to the right before the main entrance to the tunnel, exhibits tools and photographs reconstructing the harsh existence of the workers with a stirring introduction in Japanese by the museum's guide (admission 200 yen).

To reach the tunnels take a Nagano Dentetsu Yashiro Line train to Matsushiro Station from Nagano and then walk south about 20 mins. Alternatively, take the more frequent bus from Nagano Station to Matsushiro from bus platform #3 outside the station.